Who Will Save Your Soul
by redyourlips
Summary: I've been listening to a lot of Jewel lately. Rated M for later chapters. What kind of love does former hate make? AU-ish, HG/LM
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is my first _published_ fanfiction. Yow. My muse visited last night and gave me Lucius Malfoy. I thanked him with this. This story will definitely be long. Probably not novel length, long nonetheless.

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The alarm clock on her bedside table sounded, and Hermione Granger's eyes opened. She was exhausted still from the past week, but it was now the weekend. The two days where instead of working at your job, you worked on your life. She was about to get out of bed when she felt pressure on her head. Crookshanks, still agile as ever, although getting up there in years, was stretching from his slumber, atop his human's pillow. She sat up quickly and felt the feline crash into her back with a small meow.

"Well, Crookshanks, maybe you should try sleeping on the other pillow." She smirked, and to no surprise, her cat smirked back at her. "Come on, you old cuss. Let's go make breakfast." He mewed in approval as she threw her feet off the bed and stood up, wrapping her robe around her and padding into the kitchen.

Her house was modest – a typical English cottage. She had more than enough room for herself and her familiar, and a couple extra rooms for pleasure – including a library and a secret room within that one, hidden behind the bookshelves that she used for her writing. Her house had a lovely kitchen, with a stone hearth and a cozy eating nook in the corner. Windows framed one complete wall, letting the early morning sunshine stream in as she put the kettle on. She fed Crooks, and put on her gardening shoes that were lying by the back door, and opened it. Since her home was in the countryside, she had spent many years adding to the landscape surrounding it. It was filled with loads of flowers and lush greenery. It even had a small pond, filled with koi fish and a bench in the shade of an old willow tree. She grabbed the watering can from the potting bench and filled it with a word. She went to her pots first, letting the can fill them, as she let the sun warm her skin. Minutes later, she heard the whistle of the kettle, and she went back inside to finish her breakfast, when she heard a rustle from the hearth.

"Ginerva Potter, I swear." She gaffawed, as her friend poked her head out of the fireplace.

"Hermione, I wanted to talk to you." Ginny looked rather serious for so early in the morning, and Hermione got that immediately.

"Well, do you want a cup of tea?"

"Sure. Let's sit down."

Hermione grabbed an extra cup and they went to the table, where the kettle was waiting. She made the tea and Ginny began to speak.

"Harry didn't come back until late last night, or early this morning, I guess. He told me as soon as he came home and I figured I should tell you…"

"Ginny would you just tell me? Is everything okay? Is someone hurt?"

"Everyone's fine." Ginny took a swallow of her tea. "Lucius Malfoy was released from Azkaban prison last night."

Hermione set her cup back down on the table, not feeling very hungry anymore.

"I wanted to you to know first, Hermione. Before the paper arrived." As if on cue, the paper owl swooped into the kitchen, and threw the paper on the table, and left with a loud screech. There it was, right on the front page, his face. She scanned the article quickly, and she figured that he had probably bribed Rita Skeeter because the article itself was dripping with positivity, "more so than anything the cow has ever written about me," Hermione thought bitterly. She focused back to Ginny.

"Do you think he'll come here?" Hermione asked out loud. Only Ginny truly knew the relationship between her and Lucius.

_9 years previous_

_Hermione Granger was not one you could call a timid person, but rather, a cautious person. She was not afraid to speak up, and she was not afraid to help. She wasn't particularly afraid of anything anymore. Except seeing him again. He was not her first patient here at Azkaban prison, but it didn't help her stomach from twisting. He had been put here shortly after she got her medi-witch license, and she accepted a job working for a program through St. Mungos to nurse inmates here. No one was thrilled with her working at such a place, but the prison had gone through some major changes after Minister Kingsley took over after the war. It still had the best protective spells and enchantments of any wizarding prison in the world, but it was reminiscent of a Muggle prison, Hermione thought. Her Aunt had worked in a low-security jail in the States a long time ago, and enjoyed helping those trying to rehabilitate themselves, so she thought that she would give it a shot. So far, so good. The inmates were courteous and respectful… she wasn't allowed to work on former Death Eaters on orders from the Minister, but this was an exception for the day. Her co-worker, Anise Oliver had gone into childbirth, and she was the sole person there for the time being. She walked down the lit hallway, making her way down to one cell. His. The guard, Ambrose, walked her down slowly, then opened the cell with his wand and left her._

"_Wait!" she yelled in surprise. "Don't…don't you have to stay?" She asked quietly. He walked back and touched her shoulder gently. "Madam Granger. You know the rules. Don't worry. He can't do anything, and if he tries anything at all, we will be here in a flash. The Minister himself knows you're doing this – so he has been made aware of that fact. You are very safe." She nodded, barely motivated by the old man's pep talk. He began to walk away again and she let him. She turned slowly, noticing that the other cells around his were empty, and that did not please her. _

"_Miss Granger." His voice had lost no emotion. And it still raised the hair on her skin as if she was out in an thunderstorm. "Please. I am in pain." He spoke again._

_She went into the cell and saw him. He was lying on his cot, and she didn't understand how someone could make prison garb look dashing. Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she approached him. _

"_What happened, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked, as she ran her wand over his body, silently casting diagnostic spells._

"_I don't know." He looked troubled for the first time she had noticed, and he had a look of fear in his eyes. "I wasn't attacked as far as I know, but I feel like my organs are going to burst out of my very skin." She looked at his face once more, and noticed sweat dripping down his forehead. She placed her hand on his head, and felt scorching heat. "Have you been feeling nauseous?" She felt her voice become gentle. _

"_Y-yes. I've been vomiting off and on all night long." He looked disgusted with himself. Probably humiliated to tell a mudblood about such basic human maladies, she thought. "Well, as odd as this may seem, Mr. Malfoy, I think you have appendicitis."_

"_What?" he asked sharply. She knew he had never heard of such a Muggle condition._

"_Let me just…" she trailed off as she ran a final spell over his stomach, which she had uncovered. It was swollen, a classic symptom. "Appendicitis is inflammation of your appendix, a virtually unneeded organ in your body. It needs to be removed immediately. I can't believe they waited until morning to get me here!" She went from textbook Hermione to pissed off medi-witch Hermione in a matter of seconds. She sent a message to the guards, telling them of the seriousness of Lucius' condition, and then bent down, as he garnished a look on his face she could have never imagined. _

"_It's nothing to be afraid of, Mr. Malfoy. It's a simple procedure. It affects wizards all the time. You'll be transported to St. Mungo's right away, and be in recovery for about two days. You'll have sufficient pain potions afterward for as long as you need them."_

_The look did not change on the man's face as he turned to her and spoke. _

"_Miss Granger, I-" He was cut off as three guards came into the cell and hoisted him up roughly. "Be careful, damnit!" She yelled. "I would prefer if his appendix does not rupture before he gets to the damn hospital!" She heard a chorus of mumbled apologies, and shot them all a stern look. "Let me take him, you fools." She flicked her wand, and Lucius easily floated through the air to the end of the hall, gently, as she wished, and was placed onto a Muggle gurney to be transported through Apparation, a new medical breakthrough, instead of aggravating new injuries through the Floo. _

_As soon as they got to the hospital, she noticed Mr. Malfoy's eyes begin to flicker. A rush of panic seethed through her. She placed her wand to her throat and heard her voice echo through the hospital building like an intercom, calling for a operation room to be opened now. Hermione Granger was going to remove an organ from Lucius Malfoy's body. How weird this day was turning out. If only Harry was here, she smirked._

Hermione snapped back to reality, and focused on the situation at hand.

"So what is going to happen now? He's done with trials? With Azkaban? With…everything?" She asked quietly. "He's done with me."

"Yes. Every matter has been settled. He should be back at Malfoy Manor now, actually. I forgot that he kept it." She smiled softly. "It's all up to the Gods now, Herm. Nobody knows what his next move is. I bet he doesn't even know."


	2. Building a Mystery

But Lucius Malfoy did know what his next move was. He was getting reaquainted with normal life again. But when was his life ever normal? The manor was just as he left it, with one pretty major exception. His wife had moved into a house of her own several years ago, although she never divorced him. The pureblood world truly was archaic – it was much like living in centuries past. If they were to divorce, much of Narcissa's wealth would be lost. And if you were like Narcissa, you would miss having a disposable income to be frivolously spent. Lucius decided to deal with her later, and headed to his rooms to rest. It was uneasy, he thought. How did someone go from living in a meager box to a mansion the size of the prison itself? While waiting for his freedom, he had relished in dreaming about returning, but now that he was here, everything felt too open. Rest did not come easily for him that night, nor for many nights thereafter. He had spent the first night waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone to pop out of nowhere and end him. Although news had not yet broke of his release, his paranoia was still prevalent. He had the foresight to send money to Rita Skeeter to prevent a fallout for this very day he knew was coming. He had received a short sentence in the first place for his crimes, and he was surprised when they had let him out a year early. He had indeed shown remorse for what he did. It started towards the end of it all – when Voldemort had shown no regard for Draco, whom Lucius loved fiercely. He knew he had difficulty showing it then. Now it didn't seem so hard to. Things change when you cannot readily get them, you know? When Voldemort put Draco's life on the line for a task he knew he would fail, it woke Lucius from his stupor, and made him change his thoughts on living itself. Narcissa, however, did not feel the same way. She was ashamed and sickened, she said. How could he betray the Dark Lord at this pivotal stage? He had begged her to see through it all – and to see what this was doing to their beloved son. But she was too far gone. Narcissa was always one step away from insanity, he thought. She was more like her sister than she ever knew. She just kept up appearances.

Back to the Manor, he was at his desk in the sitting room, by a small fire. His house elf, Bobunk popped in with a tray of tea and biscuits.

"Master Malfoy lets Bobunk know if he needs something, Sir."

Lucius nodded curtly and before the elf popped away, he stopped him.

"Wait…there is something you could do for me." He looked at the house elf, who looked as though he was willing to go to the ends of the Earth for the man.

"Yes, Master, just tell Bobunk and he will do it."

"Find out where Hermione Granger lives. I need to see her."

Ginny left after her tea and Hermione ate her breakfast: an apple, which was the only thing she could stomach. Her mind was racing so fast it was making her dizzy. Lucius was free. What did this mean? How did he get released early? She stumbled into her shower, going through the motions, her mind buzzing. She was so terrified that he would show up – not that she was afraid of him, but because she was afraid of what it would be like, their interactions on the outside. She knew what to expect of him in Azkaban.

_It was easy, really, she thought. She wished for a fleeting moment that muggles could access their magic to make operations simple as a hand movement. It didn't seem fair that the magical world kept everything under wraps…not when it could help millions of people, muggle or not. Lucius was in his heavily secured room at St. Mungo's, and Hermione was outside, finishing her paperwork and waiting for one of his dependents to arrive so she could inform them of his situation. She had a medi-aide send a Patronus to Narcissa, telling her of the predicament at hand, and when they had not heard or seen from her, she sent one herself to Draco, letting him know that his father was out of surgery, and he should come, regardless of his feelings...he was still his father. Realizing that neither was coming, she filed her papers and went into his room. Lucius was still sedated, but was doing fine. She studied his features. He hadn't changed much since the end of the war. His once beautiful platinum blonde hair was a shaggy mess, his five o'clock shadow was more nocturnal than she had thought possible, and he was emaciated to the point of any possible bones that could show, were on prominent display. She couldn't help it – she pitied him. He had seemed to have lost everything. His family was virtually non-existent in her eyes (I mean, who doesn't show up for a loved ones surgery, honestly?), his confidence was shattered, and he held no power anymore. She understood then. He didn't hold any power over her anymore. There was no reason to be frightened again. He was just a man, just a person. In her absence of thought, she reached out a hand to stroke his sleeping face, feeling the stubble of his chin underneath her fingertips, and held back a sigh of shock. Her hand pulled back, and his eyes opened. _

As she was getting dressed, she heard what she thought was someone apparating, and threw on her jumper to go outside and investigate, but she saw no one.

"Bloody hell, Hermione," she said quietly to herself. "Stop being paranoid." Grasping the doorknob to go back outside, she thought she heard another noise. She glanced back, and felt a hand on her shoulder, and whipping her head around she saw him.

"Miss Granger?"

"Lucius. You're here." She breathed.


	3. She is Staggering

**A/N: I have no excuse. I'm just a bastard. :) More frequent updates, promise!**

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No doubt this was going to be extremely awkward and bizarre. She figured he would come, but _he was here_ and what was she going to say, and what was _he_ going to say, and oh, bugger. She fiddled with the hem of her jumper and stammered out the beginnings to their conversation.

"Would…would you like to come inside?"

He looked great, really. Obviously he didn't have access to razorblades in prison, as his face was devoid of stubble, and the tattered black striped uniform was replaced with gorgeous designer clothing as he wore now, so it was if she was talking to an entirely different person. She suddenly felt very insecure. Her house was very un-Malfoy like, and she hadn't even applied moisturizer, for Merlin's sake! He probably thought her a scary sight.

"That would be most pleasant, Hermione."

Fumbling with the door, she shakily walked into her living room, cursing herself for leaving numerous items strewn about from last night's Pad Thai takeaway and thirties movies for one marathon. But she didn't have a staff of house elves.

What was with this insecurity, she wondered. This was her own turf – she had always been on her turf. But he was no longer an imprisoned man.

"Would you like some tea, Lucius?" She shakily sat down a cup in front of him.

"Hermione," He started, looking down at his cup. "I know this is strange. But you don't have to be so insecure."

Her head snapped up to look at him.

"Yes, I can read you like a book, my dear. Legilimency or not. Now, come off it."

"I'm sorry, I just thought that with everything…my house…I'm not even wearing makeup, for Merlin's sake!" She stumbled over her words. "And you look like you've stepped off a bloody runway. I don't know what to say. I'm still in shock from receiving the news this morning." Her voice lowered. "Why didn't you tell me you were being released early? Don't you think that I would have liked to know? You're my friend. We've grown close over the past nine years. I've visited you almost everyday. You had ample time to say something."

Lucius looked pained.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you, Hermione, but I didn't know how you would take my sudden release…if how you're acting is any indication, I'm glad I didn't say anything before so you would have acted normal until now." He sighed and put his head in his hands. "I'm still me, Hermione. I'm still the changed person you met on the inside of that place. Please understand."

Hermione swallowed the drop of tea, now cold in her mouth.

"I guess I understand. But that doesn't mean I agree with it." A shy smile crept on her face. "I'm so glad you're free Lucius. Now you can repair your relationship with Draco, or get back on the Board for St. Mungo's –"

"Hermione," gravely cutting her off, "Let's not get in over our heads, shall we? I haven't seen Draco in ten years. And you think that I can just get back on the Board? Just like that?" His frustration seeped from him like poison from a very real wound.

He stood, pacing back and forth in her living room.

"Well, maybe not like _that." _She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "But you could at least attempt to try? Or do you want to sit in that bloody manor all night and day?" Her frustration started to show as well. "What about your hopes? Do you remember talking to me about those? Those seemed pretty damned important when you couldn't do a thing about them."

He turned quickly to her, his green eyes alight with emotion.

"I admire your tenacity, dear woman. I so wish that I could snap my fingers and change things. But I can't. I wish my son could know me differently. I wish that things changed easily. Even in a magical world, where things seem mysterious and superior, they really can be quite the opposite." He approached Hermione and touched her gently on the shoulder as she released a slight tremor of surprise.

"Thanks for the tea, my pet. But I must be off." He looked into her eyes once more, and then he was gone. Hermione was struck still a moment, and ran outside.

"Lucius! Wait!" She was puzzled. What in the hell just happened? His wand was in the air, but he froze, and looked at the frazzled witch running toward him.

"Lucius. I don't know what to say. I'm sorry. I should have realized you needed time. I know I get overbearing at times. I just want everything to be okay."

His eyebrow raised in either surprise or wonderment, his lips doing the same.

"Please…stay for a little while longer." She finished quietly.


End file.
